Having entered the Christmas season, we ask those who find the work of the Mystagogy Resource Center beneficial to them to help us continue our work with a generous financial gift as you are able. As an incentive, we are offering the following booklet.

In 1909 the German philosopher Arthur Drews wrote a book called "The Myth of Christ", which New Testament scholar Bart D. Ehrman has called "arguably the most influential mythicist book ever produced," arguing that Jesus Christ never existed and was simply a myth influenced by more ancient myths. The reason this book was so influential was because Vladimir Lenin read it and was convinced that Jesus never existed, thus justifying his actions in promoting atheism and suppressing the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union. Moreover, the ideologues of the Third Reich would go on to implement the views of Drews to create a new "Aryan religion," viewing Jesus as an Aryan figure fighting against Jewish materialism. 

Due to the tremendous influence of this book in his time, George Florovsky viewed the arguments presented therein as very weak and easily refutable, which led him to write a refutation of this text which was published in Russian by the YMCA Press in Paris in 1929. This apologetic brochure titled "Did Christ Live? Historical Evidence of Christ" was one of the first texts of his published to promote his Neopatristic Synthesis, bringing the patristic heritage to modern historical and cultural conditions. With the revival of these views among some in our time, this text is as relevant today as it was when it was written. 

Never before published in English, it is now available for anyone who donates at least $20 to the Mystagogy Resource Center upon request (please specify in your donation that you want the book). Thank you.



December 27, 2017

Saint Theodore, Archbishop of Constantinople (+ 687)

St. Theodore I of Constantinople (Feast Day - December 27)

Verses

Theodore was viewed as an excellent shepherd,
Being an imitator of the great Shepherd.

Our Holy Father Theodore was born and raised in Constantinople, and lived during the reign of Emperor Constantine IV Pogonatos (668-685). Due to his great piety and virtue, he was ordained Presbyter of the most holy Great Church of Hagia Sophia. He was then appointed to the positions of synkellos (an advisor and fellow-boarder of the Patriarch, who was usually viewed as his designated successor) and skevophylax (keeper and protector of the sacred liturgical vessels). After the then Patriarch Constantine (675-677) died, Theodore was constrained by the emperor and the entire senate, together with the entire Holy Synod of Bishops, to succeed him. Thus he was ordained Patriarch of Constantinople in 677.


Theodore governed the Church in a God-pleasing manner for two years and three months, until he was forced off his throne by the emperor in 679 for being a Monothelite and hindering communion with the Orthodox Pope of Rome. It should be noted that he was a Monothelite in the hopes that he would by this means restore communion with the Monophysites and bring them closer to Orthodoxy. He was replaced as Patriarch by the Orthodox George I (679-686), under whom took place the Sixth Ecumenical Synod in 681 which condemned Monothelitism. Theodore escaped condemnation by rejecting Monothelitism and accepting Orthodoxy. After the death of Emperor Constantine as well as Patriarch George in 685, he requested of the new emperor Justinian II to be restored to the Patriarchal Throne. After the emperor confirmed his Orthodoxy in 686, he was restored as Patriarch and died about a year later in peace in 687.

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